皇冠体育app

皇冠体育app UK will set up a new fund to back mobile, text and other innovative technologies which can be used to help those hit by humanitarian crises - such as earthquakes, floods or drought.

皇冠体育app new initiative, announced today by , has been created with the and will be used to scale up existing projects and processes that use technology or innovation to support humanitarian responses across the world.

Justine Greening said:

New technology has the power to transform our response to humanitarian crises.

We are already trialling the use of mobile phone apps, text alerts and GPS technology in humanitarian crises. 皇冠体育app more focused and effective our response to disasters, the more quickly people can rebuild their homes and their lives and the further our money will stretch.

This new fund will find the technologies and innovations that work best and scale them up so they can be used across the world.

皇冠体育app fund will invest up to 拢9.5 million ($15 million) in projects that have already been successfully tested at scale. Projects still at the pilot scale can apply for grants of up to 拢630,000 ($1 million). 皇冠体育app UK is contributing 拢2.6m to the .

皇冠体育app fund will support the scale-up of technologies which are designed to improve disaster responses, such as:

• Improving the design of temporary shelters and the provision other services to meet victims鈥� basic needs during an emergency. For example, the fund could support projects such as the 鈥榙isaster wheelchair鈥� a rugged, flexible wheelchair specially designed for disaster zones by and with support from聽the DFID-backed
• Better ways of managing information in emergencies to ensure aid reaches those in greatest need and help people hold us to account if it does not get there. Types of projects could include a recent UK-funded mobile phone service which uses Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to allow victims of the Haiti earthquake decide for themselves what information and help they need. In the first two months the service received 300,000 calls
• Better ways of reducing the risk of disasters by giving communities better information about impending risk, and better design of housing in flood or earthquake prone areas. For example, a recent UK-funded GPRS weather warning system is already helping 3,000 fishermen install early warning systems on their boats to help them avoid severe storms or tsunamis.

皇冠体育app Development Innovation Ventures Humanitarian Initiative is funded by the UK鈥檚 Department for International Development (DFID) and USAID, and run through (DIV) programme.

DFID and encourage entrepreneurs, innovators, businesses, academics, NGOs, local partners and others to submit proposals for cost-saving development solutions in the humanitarian sector. Proposals can be both for technologies and physical products, as well as process innovations.

皇冠体育app flexible wheelchair, IVR mobile phone system in Haiti and GPRS early warning system are all projects backed by the .